


Renaissance

by lostcrown



Series: follow these footsteps [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Exploration of the Supernatural, Family, Found Family, Friends as Anchors, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, More characters might be added as the story progresses, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Post-Canon, Puppy Pack, Teens kicking ass and saving the town, Violence, liam's pack, there are so many, there are so many tags oh my god
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-01-17 15:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12368439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostcrown/pseuds/lostcrown
Summary: Renaissance; [noun] a revival of or renewed interest in something.Senior Year comes kicking through Liam’s door, dragging him and his friends into the bottomless vortex of homework, standardised tests, late night study sessions and coming up with good excuses to explain why he couldn’t attend class because he was too busy chasing down a rogue Wendigo trying to get a bite out of people. One might say all has gone back to normal, but the Beta and his own little Pack know that everything has just begun; a new chapter just for them, the new Protectors of Beacon Hills. And with every new chapter, new characters are introduced – good or bad, allies or enemies, danger is inevitable and Liam is sure, that while Senior Year will be his greatest Year ever, it might as well will be the most chaotic time in his life.[Post-Canon. Spin-Off; Liam’s Pack. New allies, new enemies, old friends and even older legends.]





	1. trails

**Author's Note:**

> What's up guys, still in denial that Teen Wolf has ended?
> 
> I'm still so strangely attached to this series, mostly also because there is still so much untold story in there; so I welcome you to my spin-off of Teen Wolf: Liam Style!
> 
> The further the story progresses, more tags might be added. This work will contain canon-typical violence e.g. blood & gore, but also revolve around the lives of the teenagers left behind in Beacon Hills, all with their own problems, and of course for some extra exploration of the TW World, OCs will appear in this story.
> 
> I'm actually really excited about this, haha! I've already planned ahead and have so many notes on this, I hope I will be able to satisfy myself and of course all of you, who are interested. So thank you to all of you who are reading, or have been reading to this far because let's be real, this has gone one way too long, let's just proceed with the chapter.
> 
> The name's Crown, and I wish you all a great day!

_Chapter 01:_ **_trails_**

 

“ ** _A_** w c’mon!”

Mason groaned when his part of the TV screen displayed ‘ _You lose_ ’ in bold, bloody letters. He fell back against the foot of Liam’s bed, looking defeated as he should be – this was his 8th loss. Liam, who was sitting next to him, snickered. Mason gave him a look.

“You totally used your wolf powers, dude,” he accused as he reached into the chips bag in Corey’s lap next to him. The Beta snorted.

“Did not,”

“Did too,” came the quiet retort from the back. They turned around to face Nolan, sitting crosslegged on Liam’s bed hugging a pillow as he flashed a small, crooked grin. “I saw your eyes flash briefly in the TV reflection.”

“Oh, busted,” Corey teased, while his boyfriend playfully punched Liam in the arm for ‘betraying’ him. Liam curled away from his best friend’s assault, before launching a small pillow into Nolan’s direction, calling him a snitch.

They played another several rounds, the controllers regularly switching owners as they goaded and teased each other, sometimes even deliberately shoving each other in order to win. All in all, a regular Friday night of kicking back with friends, eating junk food all night and trash talking each other in a loving way until they all pass out around 4am and wake up groggy in the early noon.

And after everything that happened – the Ghostriders, the Hunters, the Anuk-Ite – it’s an experience they all welcome with open arms. This sense of normalcy of just being regular teenagers for once.

Liam watched how Corey was getting his virtual ass handed to him by Nolan before he teared his eyes from his TV, checking his phone instead. He unlocked it.

Nothing.

“Still nothing from Theo?” Mason inquired over his shoulder, munching on Doritos. Liam shook his head, locking his phone again with a sigh as he turned back towards the game.

“He still hasn’t texted back yet,” He fished a triangular chip from the bag his friend offered him. “I guess he’s just busy.”

“Busy doing what,” Corey asked, brows furrowed in concentration as he button mashed the controller in his hands. “Plotting? Scheming? Hiding a body?”

Nolan enters a combo and obliterated Corey’s avatar before pinning him with a disturbed look on his face. “Dude…”

To everyone’s surprise and disbelief, and Theo’s endless amusement, Nolan’s perception of Theo was drastically different from everyone else’s; not knowing the chimera’s background but only from seeing him accompany Liam throughout the whole Monroe fiasco, gave the teen the picture that Theo was a smart, supportive albeit enigmatic friend to Liam.

“He seems nice,” Nolan had said once when they all started hanging out more at school, causing Corey to choke on his sandwich. While most of the Pack agree, albeit some begrudgingly, that Theo has changed for the better, they wouldn’t go as far as to call him _nice_. It’s a memory they all liked to bring up in order to embarrass Nolan.

There’s a knock at the door and all four heads swivelled around.

“Yeah?” Liam called, sitting up properly as Dr.Geyer stuck his head inside the room, smiling.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said before looking at Liam. “your mother and I are heading to bed, I’ll be on call tonight, so I’d appreciate if you could keep it to a minimum with the noise.”

“Sure thing,” Liam replied and his friends chimed in with similar answers of ‘ _No problem, sir_ ’ and ‘ _Good night, Doc_ ’.

After his stepfather closed the door, Liam checked his phone again – _11:34pm_. He turned his head towards Nolan.

“You staying, man?”

The blonde clutched the pillow in his lap a bit tighter, slightly taken aback by the invitation as the trio surveyed him with expectant looks. In the end, he grinned a little.

“Yeah,”

They holler a bit until Liam shushed them all with a panicked ‘ _shut up guys, my parents!_ ’.

 

* * *

 

The woods seemed calm tonight, somewhere an owl called into the darkness. A few twigs snapped and Theo tore his gaze from his phone, peering into the undergrowth. The small form of a fox scuttled by, sniffing the air for potential food. The chimera let go of a small sigh and unlocked his phone again, illuminating his face.

He sat on the hood of his car, leaning back against the windshield with the radio playing from inside the open window. Parking his car in the woods wasn’t exactly his ideal plan, but here he was undisturbed by patrolling deputies, who came knocking on his window, asking him to leave. Besides, with all the chaos that Beacon Hills went through, many people decided to never step foot into the woods after dark – they knew better now.

Some overplayed new pop-song came to an end and late night chatter emerged, talking about the weather, some political issues and the newest update on the series of disappearances, sparking a debate if kidnapping was involved or not. 

Listening idly, Theo thumbed through a few apps before his eyes glued themselves back onto the small red notification bubble on his messenger app. His thumb hovered over the icon, hesitating but he brought it down anyway.

 

**_from: Dunbar – yesterday, 7:24pm_ **

_hey_

_friday night hang out @ mines_

_wanna come?_

 

Dark blue eyes read the current time overhead – _1:46am_. Theo snorted, bitter half-smile on his face as something akin to regret formed in the pit of his stomach. He’d seen the notification hours ago, chose to ignore it anyways. And yet, here he was, asking himself what could’ve been if he actually took the invitation – one of several invitations he had received in the last couple of weeks, he didn’t really know what to think of it. Sighing, he locked his phone and let his head fall back against the glass.

As far as he knew Liam and the others, they were probably glued in front of the TV, playing whatever game they had, switching the controller back and forth between each other, hollering and laughing, while pigging out on various potato chips and soda cans. Just having a grand old time hanging out with friends and this little, hidden part in Theo wished he was part of it. Part of being friends, part of being just some normal teenager whose only worries consisted of homework, school and a partially non-existent love life. Just a normal teenage life.

His heart gave off a small throb and his hand immediately flew to his chest, as if he was afraid it could just jump right out of his ribcage.

 _Yeah, right_.

Huffing almost angrily, Theo pocketed his phone before jumping off the hood. He reached into his car and turned off the radio, hand curled around the door-handle, ready to head in to go to sleep. 

He paused. 

He didn’t feel tired, albeit rather restless, as if he hadn’t expelled enough energy for the day. Contemplating, he worked his jaw before gazing into the forest.

“Why the hell not…” he murmured before ridding himself of his clothes, carelessly throwing them into the car in a heap. Theo closed all the windows, locked the car and hid the keys unter some leaves near a wheel, just a precaution. He wasn’t exactly in the mood to regret his midnight adventure. Stark naked, he slowly walked deeper into the woods, feeling the earth beneath his bare feet, the cool autumn wind on his skin, how his inner wolf-coyote emerged and suddenly, a wolf with black fur blending into the night, dashed between the trees like a phantom shadow.

 

It felt good, great even as Theo raced around in the forest in his full shift, paws drumming onto the ground beneath, wind in his fur and the smell of fresh earth surrounding him. He jumped onto a fallen tree, trotting along its length, sniffing around curiously because now in his wolf-form, he’s allowed to do that. He was about to jump off, when as sudden deep growl made him snap his head up. The noise seemed distant but it was deep enough for Theo to know that it didn’t come from an ordinary animal.

Ears swivelling, he followed the direction of the noise, sniffing the air to pick up any particular scent as he trotted along the trees and bushes, senses now turned on high alert. The air seemed quiet now, Theo knew better than to trust the silence and instead surveyed his current surroundings. His ears immediately perked up when another deep, reverberating growl, almost turned roar, emerged from within the woods. Twigs snapped and dried leaves rustled in a rhythm of something moving fast through the thicket – on instinct, Theo gave chase.

The world became a blur. Dead leaves scattered into the air and the chimera’s heart hammered in his chest as he ducked and jumped over fallen logs and thick branches, stubbornly following the phantom in front of him. It growled, as if it knew something was following it but Theo was undeterred by the subtle warning, keeping up with the fast pace. Suddenly, the phantom’s footsteps paused and for a moment the shapeshifter thought it had stopped until he was forced into a skidding halt, when a yawning ravine appeared in front of him. Nearly slipping over the edge, and getting a nice look on a good 9ft fall into a heap of thorny bushes, Theo scrambled back just as a loud thump ahead alerted him of his previous task. Dark wolf eyes glowed golden as they pierced through the night, trying to get a hold on the retreating figure on the other side of the ravine.

The dark silhouette of a human, a _person_ , vanished between the trees, short hair bouncing with every step they took, leaving nothing but the smell of fruit-scented soap and freshly washed sheets behind. Dissatisfied with the outcome of the chase, Theo could only watch how his target disappeared. He let out a huff and decided to turn back, sniffing at their trail in hopes to gain more information through their scent.

It was no secret that many more supernaturals resided in Beacon Hills through the magnetic powers of the Nemeton, but usually the other shapeshifters kept to themselves and their own packs, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention, especially with Monroe and her hunters still out there. Theo made his way back to his truck, mind reeling. His encounter could’ve easily been some rogue omega or even beta, and yet, something about them didn’t seem wolf-like to him. Not to mention, they hadn’t masked their scent, Theo could’ve easily identified them as a werwolf but he came up with nothing. Right now, his only conclusion was that some new shapeshifter is making their rounds in town.

Arriving at his car, Theo shifted back into his human form, grasping his keys to open his car. Wearing pants again, he took out his phone – _3:11am_ , no new notifications. For a moment, he just stared at the device, thinking. Then, clicking his tongue, he unlocked it and opened his messages.

 

**_to: Dunbar – today, 3:15am_ **

_Call for a meeting as soon as you can_

_I think i just found something_

 

* * *

 

The telltale sound of the front doors opening and closing made Deaton lower the heavy book currently lying in his hands. He furrowed his brows slightly and moved to the front, reminding himself that he had closed the latch to the reception, connecting the mountain ash barrier. Calmly, he stepped into the reception.

“Pardon me,” he started, regarding his unexpected guest with a polite look. “I’m afraid we are very much closed, _Noshiko-san_.”

Noshiko Yukimura, standing tall and regal with her hands comfortably buried within the confines of her black trench coat, greeted him with an equally polite face of neutrality.

“I’m aware,” she said, dark eyes steely, “I do apologise for my unexpected visit, but I assure you it is not without cause.”

Curious, Deaton inclined his head, a gesture for Noshiko to continue.

“I have received word that another supernatural has recently moved into town.” She raised her chin a little. “Someone we’d rather not have as our enemy.”

Deaton raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

“A friend of yours?” he inquired.

The kitsune’s mouth twitched into a small, tight-lipped smile.

“We prefer the term _acquaintances_.”


	2. webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to unfold, bit by bit, but careful! Trails might tangle and you'll find yourself trapped in a web.

_chapter 02:_ **_webs_ **

 

 ** _W_** hen Liam woke up, it was on his floor with Nolan’s leg strewn over his chest, said boy softly snoring away in one of Liam’s beanbags. Groggily, the beta slowly propped himself up, wincing when his back made some concerning cracking noises as he gently pushed Nolan’s leg away. Faint sunlight filtered through his partially closed blinds, softly illuminating the room, it’s floor littered with empty soda cans, water bottles, three pizza boxes and a bunch of open chip bags. At the sight, Liam only inclined his head in acceptance; the aftermath of a regular Friday night.

Slowly, he got up to his feet, stretching all the while and yawning wide, his eyes scanning the room for any potential damage. Nolan was still sleeping undisturbed, hugging a pillow, and Mason somehow managed to wrap himself around Corey like a koala, both breathing softly on Liam’s bed. A small trail of drool stuck to the corner of Corey’s mouth, which made Liam grin. Maybe he should take a photo, just for the shits and giggles, and maybe even to annoy Corey a bit. Mason would probably find the picture endearing and ask him for a copy, so now Liam was actively searching for his phone, which he found a minute later. Smirking gleefully, he made the move to unlock it, when his notifications lit up the screen and Liam’s smirk fell as he stared at the words with knitted brows.

 

**_from: Thehoe – today, 3:15am_ **

_Call for a meeting as soon as you can_

_I think i just found something_

 

Blue eyes searched for the time – _11:03am_.

“Oh shit,” he muttered, setting his phone down on his dresser as he tore a drawer open and fished out a fresh shirt. He tossed the current one into the hamper, totally missing it, and slipped the new one over his head while turning to his still sleeping friends.

“Hey,” he called, searching for his shoes, careful not to step on the few loose chips. “Hey, guys.” he tried again, pulling a face of baffled irritation. 

“ _Guys, wake up!_ ” 

At his yell, Nolan clumsily scrambled to his feet, clinging to the pillow, while Corey tried to jolt upright but immediately fell back when Mason’s grip around him tightened in surprise at being woken up. Bleary eyed and confused, they stared at Liam, who stood in front of them, hands raised into the air in exasperated question.

“Get up!” he added after a few seconds of silence and Mason yawned.

“What’s the rush, dude,” he asked, following his boyfriend out of bed to join him on the search for their shoes. “it’s only like, 8am on a Saturday.”

“It’s 11am actually,” The beta rushed past him to open his blinds and windows, inviting in the fresh air and sunshine. The other three winced when the light hit them. “we gotta get to a meeting.”

“Wait– _11am_?” Nolan squeaked, but Corey interrupted him with his own baffled question.

“A meeting?” He slipped into his shoes before standing up. “Why, did something happen?”

They watched how Liam swiped his phone off of his dresser, pocketing in his jacket before he turned around to face them again.

“I don’t know,” he confessed, “but we’re about to find out – Theo found something.”

 

* * *

 

Mason’s car came to a halt in the Animal Clinic’s parking lot and immediately, all four doors popped open as the teens climbed out, Mason locking his car dutifully when everyone was standing again. Liam looked around and spotted Theo’s truck nearby, concluding that the chimera must be inside already. They enter the building.

Alan Deaton was standing in front of a cork board, pinning a few flyers up before turning around when he heard the boys enter. He sent them a small smile.

“Why, good afternoon boys,” he greeted with an amused glint in his eyes as he took in the slightly disheveled look on all of them. “I’ll be right with you in a moment, Theo is in the back.”

With his head he motioned towards the open reception, which they passed in order to head towards the exam room, where they were greeted with the sight of Theo casually leaning against an exam table, scratching the chin of a small ginger kitten in his hands.

“You’re late,” he drawled, not even looking up from the kitten, who purred up a storm at the attention. Liam pulled a face, scowling as he walked towards the exam table on which a medium sized cardboard box stood.

“Shut up,” The beta muttered towards the chimera, crossings his arms moodily. The rest of them gathered around and Nolan curiously leaned over the box to catch a glimpse of at least four more kittens climbing all over each other, meowing. The teen smiled and carefully smoothed a finger over the head of one of them.

“Aw,” Mason cooed as he joined Nolan’s side, watching the kittens. “They’re adorable!”

He gently grasped a kitten, lifting it into his arms. It mewled at the sudden height and Theo immediately turned his head around at the tiny sound.

“ _Watch it_ ,” he snapped warningly at the teen, stunning all of them into silence until Mason shot him a mildly irritated look.

 “Jeez, calm down.” The kitten purrs under Mason’s gentle hands. “They’re fine, whose are these anyways?”

“No one’s,” Deaton entered the exam room, setting down a small box of pins onto a different table. “They’re rescue kittens, an elderly couple found them on their walk.”

Nolan sadly lowered his eyes to the kittens again as they played with his fingers; left in box and nowhere to go, in such a young age too. Deaton tickled one of the kittens underneath the chin before clearing his throat.

“Now, I suppose there is a reason on why we’re all gathered here, not?” His gaze fell onto Theo, who pushed himself off the table and faced the group, not without setting the kitten gently back into the box. It meowed as if missing him already. The chimera propped his hands onto the steely surface, blue eyes meting Liam’s.

“I trust you got my text?”

“Yeah, what did you find?”

“Well,” Theo started, “in the Beacon Hills Preserve, around 2am I think-“

“Wait–“ Corey interrupted, waving a hand around while his face scrunched up in confusion and suspicion– “why were you in the woods at 2am?”

Theo’s jaw set for a second as he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, annoyed. He then sent him that infuriating, clearly condescending smile of his.

“Hiding a body,” he said almost too cheery and Liam shot him a sort of disappointed look.

“This isn’t funny, Theo.”

“Does it look like I’m laughing?”

“Uh,”

The four boys snapped their heads around to face Nolan, holding a kitten protectively against his chest. The boy immediately shrunk under their intense gaze, ducking his head a little.

“Could we go back to the original point? You know, before you start fighting.” He shifted a bit on the spot, uncomfortable at the attention. Theo then looked back at Liam, eyes serious.

“I think I found a new shapeshifter.” He watched how the beta blinked in confusion, while Mason leaned forward in a manner that was half-excited and half-curious.

“You think?”

“They definitely didn’t smell like a werewolf.”

Nolan regarded him with a curious look. “Werewolves can tell who else is a werewolf?”

“Only if they don’t mask their scent,” Deaton explained before pointing at Liam, “for instance; Liam does not know how to mask his scent, which could mean that he is either too young or untrained, making him a rather easy target for rival packs.”

Said beta wrinkled his nose a bit at the statement, which made Theo smirk in amusement. The other three however, nodded along to Deaton’s explanation. Liam shook his head.

“Okay, whatever, so there’s a new shapeshifter. Did they do anything?” he asked, eyes back on Theo, who pushed himself back up into an upright position, shrugging casually.

“I don’t know, I heard a growl and something running through the woods, next thing I know there is this shadow running right past me.” After finishing his re-telling, he crossed his arms. Mason was the first to react.

“Hold up–“ he closed his eyes for second as if to concentrate– “so you’re telling us there might be a potential new threat and you _chased_ it? Not even knowing what it was?”

 

In hindsight it did sound like a pretty foolish plan on Theo’s part, but he’d rather drink from a toilet than publicly announce that, so instead he glared at the other teen.

“Whatever it was, it sounded far from human and even farther from an animal that should be in those woods,” he responded rather peeved, “I couldn’t just let it pass like that.”

Corey held up a finger, pondering before pointing at Theo with said finger. “But they escaped you.”

Theo wanted to quit. Can he quit? Like, just quitting everything in general. Fortunately, Deaton interrupted any further verbal jabs.

“If what you say is true, Theo,” he started and the chimera couldn’t find it in himself to try and look offended since, hey, they had a history after all, “they might become a problem if they turn out to be an enemy. Did you get a good look at them?”

With expectant looks placed on him, Theo sighed.

“Not really no,” he confessed, “it was dark and I was too busy trying to catch up to them to get a good look.”

“They were faster than you?” Liam asked rather loudly, eyebrows raised and Theo had the sudden urge to strangle the younger with his bare hands. Despite the semi-serious conversation they had going on, Corey rubbed his nose in order to hide his smirk, while Mason only pressed his lips together in suppressed amusement. Nolan was polite enough to actually look mildly worried, but Theo decided to be petty anyways and turned to Deaton, ignoring the rest.

“I got a last look when they jumped over a ravine,” he told him, effectively getting the others to stop grinning, “definitely bipedal, so I assume human with approximately shoulder-length hair, probably wavy.”

“Height?”

“Not very tall, probably around Liam’s height.” It was Theo’s turn to smirk as Liam furrowed his brows, offended, even more so when Nolan stifled a small chuckle. Deaton’s lips twitched suspiciously but he turned his head away in time before surveying the teens in front of him with a contemplative look in his eyes.

“Well,” he said a after a short pause, “it seems like my theories have been proven false.”

Nolan and Corey exchanged confused looks and Liam’s crease between his brows deepened.

“What theories?”

Instead of answering, the vet fished a small folded paper out of his breast pocket of his shirt.

“Word has come to me that a new supernatural has moved into town.” He placed the paper into Liam’s hand, who unfolded it curiously. His friends immediately gathered around him to get a look and Mason raised his brows.

“A time and address?” he wondered out loud, while Deaton propped his hands onto the exam table, nodding his head.

“This is as far as I can help you, the rest Mrs. Yukimura will explain once you’re there.”

At the mention of Kira’s mother, both Theo and Liam blanched a little. The latter gulped and Theo set his jaw, hissing.

“Oh, _great_.”

 

* * *

 

The house they stopped at, edged close to the woods, standing tall a good distance away from the town. It reminded Nolan of those houses in horror films, where they end up haunting the freshly moved in family, going absolutely batshit by throwing cutlery and exploding lightbulbs. His hands started getting sweaty.

“Are you sure this is the right one?” he asked nervously behind Liam, who stared at the house with a critical look on his face, eyeing the decoratively twisted spires framing the front steps warily. Corey read the paper in his hands again, a bit unsure himself.

“That’s the address,” he said in a tone as unhappy as Nolan himself, “we should be right.”

Theo, who had just stepped out of his car, scoffed. “And what exactly are we supposed to do here?”

“That is for me to know.” said a familiar voice calmly behind them, prompting the teens to whirl around to see Noshiko Yukimura step towards them, dark eyes steely. She stopped short in front of them, inclining her head.

“And for you to find out.” she finished, eyeing the boys with such scrutiny, Theo noted how Nolan started to absolutely _reek_ of anxiety. Right, poor thing hasn’t met the kitsune yet. A choked off wheezing sound escaped Liam as he stood straighter.

“Hi Mrs.Yukimura…” he mumbled nervously as Mason behind him smiled politely, a gesture Corey copied. Noshiko didn’t seem very impressed, judging by her stony face. Her eyes flickered to Theo for a second.

“I see you have kept your word about taking responsibility, Liam.” she announced and the boy wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not – she was hard to read. That didn’t seem to bother Theo, seeing as how he sent her a charming smile and waved.

“Hello,” he greeted way too cheery and Liam was sure that if this gets dragged out any longer, Nolan will pass out within mere minutes with how his heart’s jackhammering against his ribs.

 

Instead of answering, Noshiko gave Theo a cold, withering glare before she turned on her heel, leisurely walking towards the house. The chimera only raised his eyebrows, while Corey sidled up next to him.

“I think,” he whispered into Theo’s ear, “she’s still mad at you for being a factor of what forced her daughter into leaving to Mexico.”

Now it was Theo’s turn to glare.

“Not to mention breaking said daughter’s sword.” Noshiko called from ahead, causing Corey to turn pale while Liam awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Yep, still mad.” he muttered to Mason before motioning to everyone to follow the kitsune, warily climbing the few steps of the porch and coming to halt behind the woman in front of the dark wood door.

“‘Scuse me, Mrs.Yukimura, but what exactly are we doing here?” Mason asked politely, “I mean we know that there is a new supernatural in town but…are they really that dangerous?”

Noshiko turned her head slightly, calculative look on her face as if she’s choosing her words carefully.

“With how I know her, it is best to make a good impression,” she gave them a stern look over her shoulder, “you’d rather not have her as an enemy. I am actually giving you a fair chance on getting yourself a new potential ally.”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to the door, gracefully lifting her hand before she gently knocked at the wooden surface with her knuckle. The knock wasn’t particularly loud, yet with their keen hearing, the boys heard movement within the house, the sound causing Liam to furrow his brows. He heard several rapid footsteps on wood, falling in irregular intervals until they all seemed to merge into regular footsteps. The delicate sound of a chain lock being pushed back was heard before the door knob rattled, opening the dark wood to reveal a long, sweeping dark green skirt in which a black blouse was tucked in. Strands of black hair spilled from the elegant knot like ink as dark eyes surveyed them, red painted lips stretching into a small, enchanting smile.

 

“Good afternoon, Noshiko-san, it has been a while, not?” said a voice as smooth as velvet and the kitsune gave the stranger a tightlipped smile. 

“A few hundred years I suppose, Kurosawa.” Noshiko greeted back and Nolan turned to Mason, wide eyed, mouthing a quiet disbelieving ‘ _hundred years?_ ’. Mason made a vague hand gesture as if to say ‘ _yeah, it happens_ ’. The movement seemed to catch Kurosawa’s attention and for a moment, her eyes brightened in delight.

“Why Noshiko-san, you even brought me a welcome present!” she exclaimed joyfully, eyeing the boys before turning back to the kitsune. “You shouldn’t have, I already had lunch.”

A mixture of confusion and panic seeped into the teens faces, save for Theo, who only sent her a charming smile.

“Trust me, we don’t taste that good, Miss.” he drawled and Liam turned his head, mildly offended and ready to argue before his brain caught up to him. Kurosawa’s mile turned into a sharp smirk, mischievous and taunting.

“Oh, don’t you worry now,” she said airily, smoothing out a crease in her blouse, “two of you don’t smell exactly tasty, I’m not a fan of artificial byproducts.”

Theo’s smile fell a bit and next to him, Corey gulped as the woman scrutinised them with a calculating look. The intensity of her gaze was unnerving.

“What are you?” Theo finally spat, not liking the feeling of being examined like that – he was done being someone’s experiment, he’s no creature to be gawked at outside of a glass tank.

“My, this one sure lacks manners,” Kurosawa admonished, the corner of her lips quirking as if she’s entertained. Noshiko sent her an almost warning look before inclining her head towards the teens.

“These are, more or less, the remnants of Scott McCall’s Pack. I’m sure you have heard of them, not?” she inquired as Kurosawa corrected the cuffs of her airy blouse, nodding absentmindedly.

“Oh, I’ve heard plenty.” Dark eyes set themselves back onto the pack. “Of Hunters, Alpha Packs, Deadpools, Dread Doctors, the Beast, the Anuk-Ite and Nogitsune.”

At the last one, her eyes flitted towards the kitsune, who only clenched her jaw, yet her face remained neutral. The air suddenly seemed tense – Theo inwardly sighed, when his eyes caught sight of a spider, almost as big as his palm, crawling towards the feet of Kurosawa. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat as he watched how the spider climbed her foot and disappeared under her lengthy skirt. Kurosawa didn’t bat an eye and a sudden thought hit the chimera.

“ _Jorogumo_ ,” he half-wheezed, eyes wide as he glared at Noshiko, “you brought us to a Jorogumo.”

It was a fact as much as it was an accusation. Liam and the rest stared at him in confusion and slight concern, when Kurosawa chuckled.

“No manners, but at least your brain is in the right place,” she mused, neatly folding her hands in front of her stomach before she gave Liam a look he can’t quite place. “The name is Akemi Kurosawa, it is a pleasure to meet you, Scott McCall’s Beta Pack.”

 

* * *

 

“It’s just a dream,”

Hands with trembling fingers coated in dirt and mud slowly close into a pair of loose fists. Leaves rustled slightly on the light green bedspread as feet shuffled closer to the body, dirty toes curling.

“It’s just a _dream_ …” Erratic breathing filled the bright room as the fists found their way under the arms, whole body curling forward as if to try to form a protective ball. The breathing broke off into quiet sobs.

“Just a dream…just a dream…”

In the air lingered the unmistakable scent of fresh earth and forests.


	3. surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walking into webs isn't fun, undoubtedly, they are an unpleasant surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Thank you so much for you feedback! They truly made my day when I read them, I'm so glad you are enjoying this story, I'm certainly having fun writing this. Gosh, I'm just so excited over the positivity, you guys, haha! Thank you so much for your time, you are making this experience awesome!
> 
> The name's Crown, and I wish you all a great day!

_chapter 03:_ **_surprises_ **

 

**_W_** ith a loud _thump!_ Mason slammed the Bestiary shut, making Corey next to him nearly jump out of his skin in surprise, while Liam and Nolan jolted in their seats. The librarian shot him a dirty look, but Mason ignored her in favour of staring at his friends with a horrified look on his face.

“This is not good,” he said and his boyfriend sighed.

“What did you read this time?” he asked, fully aware of his partner’s habit of reading some of the more gruesome chapters of the Bestiary, most likely out of curiosity only to get himself scared out of his wits. They leaned over the table they were seated at and huddled their heads together slightly.

“I just searched up what Theo called Miss Kurosawa the other day,” Mason whisper-yelled and Liam raised his eyebrows, “turns out there is a chapter on Jorogumos and I’m telling you, it’s nasty!”

“They can’t be that bad, right?” Nolan asked quietly and the only answer he got was Mason re-opening the book and sliding it over to him. The three of them inspected the open page and all of them immediately recoiled, various faces of disgust emerging.

“Oh, that’s just nasty,” Corey mumbled, unconsciously bringing his notebook up as if it could protect him, “a spider woman? Really? Out of all things?”

“Not just that,” Nolan winced, reading the page, “ _Jorōgumo, the Binding Bride – a spider yōkai in japanese folklore that can take on the appearance of a beautiful woman in order to seduce young men into being their next meal_.”

The boys looked at each other uneasily, Nolan’s face slightly paler than before, making his freckles stand out. Liam more or less lunged forward and shut the book.

“Alright,” he said and shoved the book back to Mason, “we’ve read enough, so our new ‘potential ally’ is able to eat us. I think we’ve had worse.”

Nolan frowned at him. “Worse?”

“I’ll stop you right there,” Mason interjected just as Liam and Corey opened their mouths to tell the human about all their tales of barely scraping by with their lives. No need for them to frighten the inexperienced boy with harrowing tales, nobody needed that on a Monday morning.

 

After their brief meeting with Akemi Kurosawa, the boys had returned home; Theo drove off to god knows where, jaw set in what Mason assumed irritation. The rest were dropped off at home by him, only Corey remained with him throughout the entire Saturday to go over their upcoming assignments. First week into Senior Year and the two of them already knew, their teachers were definitely not fucking around as seen on Corey’s crestfallen face as he had read through his Chemistry assignment. Sunday was spent training Lacrosse with Mason timing the three Lacrosse players as they ran laps – the day ended with Nolan getting a huge bruise on his thigh after Liam had chucked the ball a little bit too hard. It wasn’t until late that evening when Mason had reminded himself to read up the Bestiary on what Theo said.

He kind of regretted it now, why did it have to be spiders? It was already bad enough that the Anuk-Ite had a penchant for unnerving hordes of spiders nesting in his hosts, now a live, human sized spider in form of a woman? Mason was ready to call the quits.

 

The bell rang and the Library immediately was filled with the sound of chairs being pushed back and students shuffling out the doors. The boys packed up their stuff, heading out and into their next classes, pausing for a bit at a crossroad in the hallway.

“You guys heading off to English?” Corey asked, looking at Liam and Nolan as he struggled to push a book into his backpack. His boyfriend lent a helping hand by opening the bag properly.

“Yeah,” Nolan confirmed as Liam nodded next to him. After Corey successfully shoved his book into his bag, Mason gave them a grin.

“I heard the English department finally got themselves a permanent teacher, which is kind of a bummer, the sub was pretty cool.”

Liam snorted. “He was pretty cool because you thought he was hot.”

“Well,” Mason started, pointing at his best friend with a finger, “ _that_ , and the fact that his notes were clear and understandable. Could’ve definitely given me that sweet A on my report card.”

“And the fact that he didn’t turn out to be a Dark Druid going around sacrificing people,” his boyfriend added to which Mason made a hand movement as if to say ‘ _yes, and that_ ’. “also, he was pretty hot.”

Corey grinned cheekily as the beta rolled his eyes in amusement, while Nolan snickered. They parted ways, making promises of meeting up again during their shared lunch period and Nolan started to heckle Liam into walking faster, not wanting to arrive late to class and leave a bad first impression on the new teacher.

 

They arrived in class where most students were still shuffling around to find seats and while Liam wanted to get a good look on their teacher, who stood at the front facing the blackboard, his friend distracted him by nudging him in the side and pointing at two free seats conveniently next to each other – they claimed the seats fast, planting themselves into the chairs and pulling out their notebooks. The sound of chalk on the blackboard stopped, indicating the teacher has stopped writing as they turned around. Nolan’s eyes widened as suspiciously familiar red painted lips were pulled into a sharp, little smile.

“Good morning class,” a smooth voice greeted them and Liam immediately snapped his head up from his notebook, disbelieving frown on his face as dark eyes watched him, clearly amused. “My name is Miss Kurosawa and as of today, I will be your new English Teacher.”

 

* * *

 

Liam’s leg bounced up and down nervously as he bit the pad of his thumb. Next to him, Nolan anxiously fiddled with his pencil, repeatedly glancing from his notebook to Miss Kurosawa and then back down onto his work. Currently she was reading a poetry excerpt to the class, questioning them about the connotation of the context and its meaning, praising particularly clever answers with an enigmatic smile. The scratches of pen on paper was heard throughout the lesson and Liam was growing increasingly irritated – _why was she here_?

He turned his head to the side, giving Nolan a look to communicate his question. The human warily glanced between him and the teacher, shrugging helplessly, just as clueless as Liam himself.

“Mr.Dunbar.” Both boys heads whipped forward when Liam’s name was called and Kurosawa regarded them with an unreadable look, head tilted slightly. “Would you like to add something to Miss Lopez’ statement?”

A few students stared, Nolan shrunk in his seat, face beet-red in embarrassment while heat gathered beneath Liam’s collar. His mouth moved but no sound came out, in the end, he just shook his head.

“No,” he said quietly, “I wasn’t listening, sorry.”

Kurosawa gave him a pointed look as if to warn him, before resuming with the class, explaining the previously distributed work sheets. 

 

After a while of quiet shuffling and discussions, Kurosawa stood up from her desk, closing her book in an act of finality, catching the attention of the class. She gave them a small smile.

“Class will end in about 5 minutes,” she announced, folding her hands in front of her, “your homework will be whatever work you weren’t able to finish in class, please complete them by the next class. I’d also like to take the time to thank you, this has been a pleasant first lesson, I look forward to teaching you throughout your senior year.”

Her small speech was met with open smiles – it seemed like she had the whole class wrapped around her finger. The shrill sound of the bell went off, prompting everyone to rise from their seats and make their way to their next class. A few students walked up to a packing Kurosawa, timidly asking further questions which she gladly answered. With a huff, Liam shouldered his backpack, Nolan appearing next to him, smelling of anxiety as they warily eyed the teacher before the beta made a move to approach her.

“…if you have any further questions, do not hesitate to ask, Mr.Ansari.” Kurosawa instructed to the last student lingering behind before waving him off with a polite smile. She then turned to Liam and Nolan, ever pleasant smile on her face as she corrected a stack of paper in her hands. “And what can I help you with, gentlemen?”

“Why are you here?” Liam immediately jumped to the point, Nolan hovering nervously behind him, clutching the loops of his backpack. Undeterred, Kurosawa sat back down onto her seat, elbows leaning onto the table with her hands folded neatly under her chin.

“Why, Mr.Dunbar,” she admonished almost playfully, head tilting to the side again, “as a teacher it is required of me to be present during class. If not, it would defeat the purpose of me being a teacher in the first place, don’t you think?”

She was twisting her words, spinning them into a web of silken facts and promises, to the point where it was too convincing and inevitably, Liam thought of Theo and his own talent of charming his way into people’s heads. The werewolf set his jaw.

“You know what I mean,” he pressed through his teeth – potential ally or not, Kurosawa still could turn out to be an enemy and Liam was not about to let his guard down. He made a promise after all. The jorogumo examined them for a short while, before a small, roguish grin formed on her lips.

“Whatever you are thinking, Liam, you might as well be very wrong.” She leaned forward slightly, dark eyes glinting. “I have no intention of meddling with your business, that is yours to solve. And what I do is for me to know.”

Her grin widened a little and somehow, she looked a lot like Theo, it unnerved Liam.

“And for you to find out, if you are curious enough that is.”

 

* * *

 

Corey was sure, that if the macaroni salad was alive right now, it would’ve have been dead in mere seconds in the way on how Liam stabbed his food with the provided plastic fork. With raised eyebrows and a concerned look on his face, the chameleon watched how the beta moodily poked ( _stabbed_ ) his lunch, head leaning into his hand he had propped up on the table earlier. Nolan, who was sitting next to the wolf, quietly ate his own food, looking just as glum. Corey sighed.

“Dude,” he started, meeting Liam’s grumpy gaze, “stab your food anymore and you’ll break someth–“

As if on cue, the dainty plastic fork, no match to a werewolf’s strength, snapped in half with a pitiful sound and Corey just stared, blank faced before sending Liam an _I Told You So_ look. The wolf growled a bit, picking out the few plastic shards in his food.

“Where’s Mason,” he muttered before taking the clean spoon Nolan offered him, finally taking an actual bite out of his food. Corey looked around in the courtyard where they were seated at a lunch table, brows slightly furrowed.

“Dunno,” he said, turning his head, “he should be on his way, though. Wait, I see him– oh wow.”

The other two gave the chameleon a confused glance, but his gaze was set on something behind them. Looking over his shoulder into the same direction, Liam spotted Mason walking into the courtyard, books in hand as he seemed to be particularly invested in a conversation with– _oh wow indeed_.

 

Walking in time with Mason, with her black hair in long, thin twists topped off with twin buns, a dazzling smile, rich brown skin and flawless make up, was Norah McClain, listening intently to what the boy next to her has to say. She nodded and then brought a manicured hand up to laugh into it as Mason said something. He smiled before he met Corey’s gaze, face brightening up even more and he then seemed to hastily excuse himself from Norah, who only waved him off with a smile. They said goodbye and as Mason hurried towards his friends, Liam caught Norah’s brown eyes; her smile didn’t waver, she actually even waved a little before heading off to her own group.

“Hey guys!” Mason greeted them, plopping down next to his boyfriend, who gave him a look. “What?”

“Norah McClain?” Corey asked incredulous smile on his face. “Since when do you hang out with the most popular girl in school?”

His boyfriend seemed stunned for a second, before he shook his head, chuckling. “She’s in my History class guys, we happened to be partnered up for an assignment, so we were discussing our topics for a presentation.”

“Lucky you,” Nolan mumbled and his cheeks went pink when he was met with suggestive looks. “…shut up, guys, I just think she’s pretty.”

The whole table snickered, lightening the mood for Liam as shook his head in amusement. He sobered up quickly though and together with Nolan, he told the other two about Kurosawa. Corey furrowed his brows in alarm.

“She’s the new English teacher?”

The two nodded.

“A good one on that too,” Nolan admitted, “her explanations are very clear.”

Liam turned to his best friend, who seemed busy frowning at his phone. The beta cleared his throat, effectively getting Mason’s attention who turned sheepish.

“Sorry–” he waved his phone around– “was just reading the news, apparently the disappearances are now being counted as kidnappings.”

Nolan regarded him, mildly curious. “How so?”

The other just shrugged, pocketing his phone. “I think there are just too many people disappearing in such a short amount of time, so simple coincidence got ruled out.”

Corey chewed on his bottom lip, looking uneasy.

“Do you…do you think something supernatural could be causing this?” he suggested quietly, “Snatching people up?”

“Maybe.” Liam conceded, taking a sip of his drink, while Nolan started tapping his fork against the surface of the table.

“Do you think it could be Kurosawa?” he then muttered, clearly unsure. Liam’s leg started bouncing again – they definitely couldn’t rule her out, they knew nothing about her or her motivations after all. But then again, it could just be a regular kidnapping case with nothing supernatural involved.

“I mean,” Mason piped up, “we do know what Jorogumos do, maybe she’s eating those people? The whole seducing young men thing?”

“But the victims ranged from men to women,” Corey informed him, “yesterday they had two people who have been reported missing appearing in the TV; a man and a woman.”

Their table went quiet for a minute in contemplation. Then, Mason shrugged, eyebrows raised.

“Are all japanese yōkai straight?”

Everyone gave him quizzical looks until Liam squinted.

“That’s…a good question.”

And despite the seriousness of the situation, they couldn’t help but grin a bit.


	4. clues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More surprises is the last thing Liam needs, but thankfully, one comes with a clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, it was so much fun reading through them! I also want to apologise for not answering, aahhh, my Uni Work keeps me on a tight leash between all the writing and working. I hope in the near future I can get back to you all with some responses, until then thank you for being patient!
> 
> The name's Crown, and I wish you all a wonderful day. Take care!

_chapter 04:_ **_clues_ **

 

**_T_** uesday morning didn’t start too bad; Liam’s mom presented him with his favourite blueberry pancakes for breakfast, a feast he wolfed down ( _pun may or may not be intended)_ in record time before he raided the fridge for more blueberries and proceeded to pinch a small pack of them. He escaped his mother’s wrath by rushing out of the house as soon as he heard Mason’s car driving up to his house and planted himself in the backseat, immediately shielding his precious blueberries from Corey’s greedy grabby hands when the chameleon saw what the wolf was holding. A small childish squabble ensued between the two of them, Corey whining on how Liam didn’t want to share as Liam batted his hands away, shoving the fruits into his mouth in protest. They stopped after Corey nearly got out of his seat, accidentally knocking into Mason, who swerved the car in surprise before yelling at his passengers that they better ‘ _knock that shit off before I turn this car around and you both can walk to school!_ ’.

In the end, Mason forced Liam to share some of his snacks with them and as Corey smugly munched on his share, staring Liam dead in the eyes through the rearview-mirror, before shrieking indignantly when the beta tickled the back of his neck in petty retaliation.

 

They made it to school safely in one piece and met up with Nolan, who waited for them near the parking lot, waving shyly before joining them. Together they discussed their upcoming classes, Liam groaning about his first class being Biology; he really didn’t like Bio. When the bell rang, and after receiving several encouraging claps on his back, he entered the science classroom, instantly picking a table which sat further in the back. With a sigh, he took out his books from his bag, getting ready for class when Mrs.Finch entered the room, her face stony and surprising-pop-quiz promising as ever.

“Good morning everyone,” she greeted, leaning against the teachers desk, “before we begin class, I’d like to introduce you to a new, or well, returning student.”

Curious and surprised whispers sparked in the classroom and Liam just raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. As Finch gestured for someone to enter the class, he hoped it wouldn’t be a situation like he had with Kurosawa and– if he had actually taken a sip of a drink right now, Liam would’ve done a spit-take when goddamn _Theo Raeken_ strolled into class, small smirk on his face.

 

“Hey guys,” Theo lifted his hand in a short wave and somewhere in the back, Liam could hear giggles. Then, someone piped up, surprised: “Hey, weren’t you like, already here last year or something?”

_You mean the time where he successfully tore my pack apart from the inside out, killed my alpha, resurrected my dead then girlfriend and my best friend’s future boyfriend and then tried to kill said best friend while also killing his own pack?_ Liam thought bitterly but remained quiet, listening to Theo’s reply.

“Family issues,” he said with a shrug, “it was pretty messy.”

Liam actually rolled his eyes at that – _yeah, you don’t say_.

“Right. Now, Theo, you can take seat next to Liam. He’s over there.” Mrs.Finch instructed and the beta balked at the idea, but swallowed his protests as Theo walked over and planted himself next to the younger, smirk still in place. Finch immediately launched into her lecture and when Liam ensured she wasn’t paying attention to them, he shot the chimera a questioning glare.

“What the hell are you doing here,” he whispered low enough for only Theo to hear and a small chuckle reached his ears.

“Still gotta finish that senior year, Dunbar.”

“I’m aware of that–“

“Then why are you asking?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” It was a legitimate question, surely Theo didn’t decide one night before going to bed to attend school again the next day. There must be more to it. Liam didn’t get an answer, so he turned his head in irritation only to see Theo with his jaw set, as if something had agitated him.

“To be honest,” he muttered lowly, eyes watching the blackboard, “it wasn’t exactly _my_ plan.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Liam asked quietly, clearly baffled, when Finch’s voice cut through the air.

“You two,” she said, disapproving frown on her face, “have you found your page yet?”

Oh man, the beta forgot to listen but Theo just gave her a charming grin.

“Page 61, we know, Miss.”

Finch gave them both a warning look, before going back to her lecture and this time, Liam actually made sure to pay attention. It wasn’t after a while when Mrs.Finch suddenly trailed off her lecture, glaring at someone in the back, tempting Liam into turning his head to check who it was before Finch’s voice interrupted him.

 

“Màrcia,” she announced loudly, crossing her arms as the class turned to watch, “Màrcia Veiga!”

Both Theo and Liam watched how on one of the very back tables a drooping head snapped up, revealing a dazed face as hazel eyes went wide. She immediately straightened her slumped over posture, panicked look on her face as Mrs.Finch glowered at her.

“Awake now?” she asked with a clipped voice. At Màrcia’s nervous nod, she gave her a tight smile and Liam felt sorry for the poor girl; Finch was always known to rule her classes with an iron fist.

“Then please read the practice task for us.” The teacher said, her eyes flitting to the girl’s open book on her table. “Page 61.”

“R-Right…” Màrcia muttered quietly, lowering her gaze onto her open book, her hands clenching and unclenching anxiously on the table and Liam furrowed his brows a bit when the girl’s mouth opened a few times but no words seemed to come out. Even Mrs.Finch started to tilt her head in confusion as she watched the girl, before stepping forward slightly.

“Màrcia,” she called, this time a lot more gentle, “are you alright?”

Lifting her head slowly, Màrcia only nodded. “I-I’m fine. Really.”

Only now a few noticed the dark rings under her eyes, her shoulders drawn up filled with tension as her hands trembled slightly. Finch pressed her lips together to a stern line before inclining her head towards the door.

“Why don’t you take a trip to the nurses office.”

“But I–“ the girl started to protest but was silenced when her teacher gave her a firm look.

“I wasn’t asking, Màrcia, I will not have one of my students faint from exhaustion in my class.” Mrs.Finch motioned to the door again. “Go.”

Liam heard how Màrcia took a shaky breath before gulping down any further protest. Clumsily, she shuffled her things together and slid off of her chair, shouldering her backpack and keeping her head down as she rushed down the aisle past Liam and Theo’s desk. Already disinterested in the whole ordeal, the chimera turned back to his work with one last glance to the girl with her dark brown hair, which bounced slightly with every step she took, smelling of fruit-scented soap _and_ _freshly washed sheets and forest_ –

As Màrcia vanished through the door, Theo’s hand shot out and clasped itself around Liam’s arm, a gesture which made the other jump in surprise. The werewolf gave Theo a mildly offended look, but the elder’s own blue eyes were glued onto the classroom door, dark brows furrowed as if in concentration. Mrs.Finch started her lecture again and Liam tried to get his arm back out of Theo’s iron grip.

“Dude,” he whisper-yelled, “what’s your deal–“

“It’s her.”

Liam blinked, clearly confused as he squinted at Theo, who finally turned to look at him. With a quick jerk of his head, he motioned towards the door.

“The girl, the one who just left,” Theo hissed lowly, “she’s the one I found in the woods that night.”

 

* * *

 

As soon as the bell rang, Liam quickly picked up all of his work but apparently he wasn’t quick enough, as seen as how Theo gripped the back of his collar, dragging the shorter boy off into the hallway. Liam had actually planned to stay behind and try to have a conversation with Mrs.Finch, wanting to ask her how she’s doing after all what happened. Instead, he was furiously texting Mason, Corey and Nolan to meet him at his locker with Theo at his side, whose arms were crossed as he tapped his biceps with one finger impatiently, leaning against the lockers.

“Okay,” Liam said, pocketing his phone, “they’re on their way.”

He began to exchange a few of his books from his locker, casting a quick glance to the chimera, who intently watched the crowd around him. Slightly chewing on his bottom lip, Liam mulled over if he should say something or not.

“So…” he started lamely, “like, are you sure? About Màrcia, I mean.”

An aggravated sigh.

“Yes, I’m sure, everything about the girl is identical to the person I saw.”

Liam really didn’t want to doubt him, honestly, he wanted to solve this mystery just as much so they can move on to the next one and not wait for everything to pile up into a full-blown crisis. Before he can answer, quick footsteps behind him announced the arrival of Mason, followed by Corey and Nolan.

“Hey, man,” Mason wheezed, bracing himself on his knees, “where’s the fire? And Theo? What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know Mason, this is a Highschool, what could I possibly be doing here?” Theo snarked back and Corey held up a hand, exasperated.

“Okay, no, explain that later,” he said, his eyes finding Liam, “why are we here?”

With his thumb, he pointed towards Theo. “He says he figured out who the new shapeshifter is. According to him, it’s Màrcia from Biology–“

“You mean Màrcia Veiga?”

Everyone turned to look at Nolan, who flushed slightly. “I- I know her, we shared a study period together in the library. But are you sure it’s her?”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Is everyone seriously doubting this?”

“Well,” Mason began, ignoring Theo’s dirty look, “first of all it’s you– don’t argue with this. Second of all; have you ever met Màrcia? She’s like one of the biggest lone wolves in this school.”

As if waiting for a confirmation, they all looked at Nolan again, who only shrugged helplessly.

“She just hangs around the library a lot, most of her classes are AP.” He revealed and for a moment he remembered the few brief meetings they had; one memorable one was the one where Nolan had taken up a small corner of a table in the library with his own homework, eyes wide as he watched how the girl across from him had furiously written down equations into her notebook, two physics books open in front of her and various more science papers strewn around all over the table. His brain still hurt just from _reading_ some of those papers.

“Great, a loner, probably doesn’t have a lot of friends either, hangs out in the library,” Theo counted down on his fingers, “seems already suspicious enough.”

“Maybe she just likes to mind her own business?” Corey suggested. “I mean, how do you know it could be her?”

“The scent the person left behind, it’s identical to hers, she fits the description.” The chimera argued and Corey raised his eyebrows at him.

“Scent? You smelled her?” He asked incredulously and his boyfriend next to him snorted a bit.

“Wow, that’s like not creepy at all.”

“Shut up,” Theo hissed, “Liam did too. And he also knows I’m right.”

Under the questionable gaze of his friends, Liam hesitantly inclined his head a little as if to agree.

“She smelt like forest, like, really fresh as if she just stepped out of the woods recently.”

“Maybe she likes to take a stroll?” Mason tried to reason, but was met with more or less deadpan looks. He rolled his eyes. “Okay fine, let’s assume she is the new shapeshifter. How are we gonna prove it? With everything that went down, I think a lot of supernaturals have amped up their whole secret identity thing.”

“Not to mention the whole thing about why she was out in the woods late at night in the first place.” His boyfriend added.

Liam thought for a second before shrugging. “We can always ask her?”

“Why, aren’t you polite.”

“Shut up, Theo.” The werewolf huffed. “We don’t want to scare her away, especially if she’s one of us.”

A few nodded as they all stared at each other, standing in a small circle as students passed by. Then, Nolan coughed awkwardly.

“You all know this all sounds kinda creepy without proper context, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Oh my god.”

“Let’s just go already.”

 

* * *

 

Liam honestly had no idea how to even start a conversation with Màrcia. What if she _wasn’t_ a shapeshifter? What if all of it was just some dumb coincidence? But then again, Theo seemed so serious about this subject, after all; he was the one to encounter the new shapeshifter in the woods that night. Only he had the clues.

He stared at his Spanish practice sheet, one hand fiddling with his pen absentmindedly, mentally far away from Spanish class. There was already so much to think about; first Kurosawa, then Theo appearing back in school, the people disappearing, Màrcia and whatever followed after. Like, how was he supposed to talk to her about the supernatural? Because what if she wasn’t part of their world? He’d be standing there looking like the biggest idiot that has ever walked the earth, he’d like to avoid that.

His leg started to bounce.

But what if she was the new shapeshifter, would she be a total newbie like Liam was when Scott first bit him? Or would she be a born supernatural or at least experienced somehow. Liam didn’t know if he could handle a freshly bitten beta. But if she was, what about her alpha? Did she have an alpha? Wait, Theo mentioned that she wasn’t or well couldn’t be a werewolf.

Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes, clearly tired of his thoughts. He’s spinning too many ‘what if’ theories, maybe the whole encounter wouldn’t be so bad once he gets to talk to her.

 

_It is my responsibility_.

 

He remembered his promise to Scott; protect Beacon Hills and its people. He remembered the code his pack followed, spoken by a girl Liam never got to meet, whose mere name was enough to bring that small spark of sadness into his alpha’s eyes, the melancholy in Lydia’s voice, the guilt in Stiles face – _we protect those, who cannot protect themselves_.

Unwillingly, he thought of Brett and Lori lying on the cold hard pavement, hand in hand and pain throbbed within his heart. They lost many people, not all to death, but to unfortunate circumstances and the picture of a smiling Kira came to his mind. Most people he didn’t even know, but they were brothers and sisters in bonds, slaughtered for who they were, what Monroe and Gerard painted them as. Entire families, packs, erased by simple fingers on a trigger, death surrounded by fear, pain and the sound of thundering gun shots.

 

The sound of the bell brought Liam back into the present. Confused, he looked around the room just to see everyone packing up, delighted chatter starting anew as students moved towards the door. He sighed, shoulders suddenly feeling so much heavier than they should be.

He was no alpha, hell, he still had issues with his own shifts thanks to his IED. He didn’t know anything about Màrcia and how he should talk to her. And he certainly didn’t know anything about Kurosawa and her agenda. For now, he was just Scott McCall’s– the True Alpha’s beta with anger issues. 

But with him was his human best friend, who used to be the host of the fearsome Beast, a chameleon with a penchant to hide, another human friend, who had beaten him to a bloody pulp, and a chimera, who killed his alpha and got resurrected from hell.

Liam squinted at that thought. They sounded like the perfect recipe for disaster and it made him smile a little because oh yes, they were far from perfect, but up until now, they made it work. And Liam thought, they could make it work for a little longer.

 

_We protect those, who cannot protect themselves_.

 

_My responsibility_.

 

He could make it work. And just run with whatever comes after, but for now, he had to find Màrcia. It’s time to finally get some answers.


	5. findings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small idea suddenly grows into something so much bigger, Liam might never listen to Theo ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHY HELLO, YES, IT IS I!
> 
> Oh goodness guys, I am so sorry for just disappearing like that, it took some time for me to recover from uni, haha, also I had an Internship to attend to, so everything got a lot more hectic than anticipated and in the end depleted me of all my motivation. But I'm back! And this time with an even longer chapter; it actually should've been shorter but since I've been gone for so long, I left as a sort of bonus for you guys.  
> I have a feeling the chapters might actually naturally grow longer as the story progresses, but we'll see, lmao.
> 
> Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your feedback, I'll be on my way to catch up to all of them, I hope I do them justice. Each and every comment you guys have left me brightened up my day, you all are wonderful, thank you so much! Please do enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> The name's Crown, and I wish you all a wonderful day!

_chapter 05:_ **_findings_ **

 

“ ** _M_** àrcia Veiga? I’m afraid you just missed her, honey.” The nurse with a round, friendly face informed Liam, small smile on her lips. The boy waved his hands around.

“Oh, that’s okay,” he said, “I’ll find her, just wanted to check up. Thanks anyway!”

With another wave he retreated from the Nurses Office and stepped back into the hallway, huffing a little. Great, lunch period was about to start and he has yet to find the girl. But with the Nurses Office off the list, his next guess would be the library, remembering Nolan’s words.

With quick steps, he soon found himself in front of the library doors, pushing them open as he stepped inside. His eyes swept over the ground floor and after finding nothing, he ducked behind the shelves, walking amongst them – still no Màrcia.

“Maybe…” he murmured to himself, idea forming in his head. As discreetly as he could, he raced down to the Science section, immediately poking his head around the corner – _bingo_.

Standing in front of the shelves in an oversized green jacket with her hands shuffling through various books, was Màrcia with dark rings still prominent beneath her hazel eyes. She tugged out a heavy looking book, scrutinising the cover before tucking it under her arm, allowing Liam to take a quick glance. _Theoretical Astrophysics_ , he read before raising his eyebrows. He wasn’t even aware this school had such a book, not to mention someone willing to actually read it. Shaking his head, he finally appeared from behind the shelf, sidling up next to her in a hopefully innocent manner as if he’s searching for a book too. Without thinking, he grabbed the first book his hands found, debating silently on how to start a conversation.

“So, found anything interesting yet?” he blurted out and immediately regretted it. Màrcia turned her head towards him, clearly startled at the unexpected outburst. Tired but wary looking hazel eyes examined him carefully.

“Uh, I guess?” she responded cautiously and her eyes glanced down to the book in Liam’s hands. He grinned awkwardly.

“Yeah, same here,” he said, reading the title of his book, “ _The Works of the Human Digestive System_.”

Liam squinted, again regretting this entire situation. The girl next to him only raised her dark eyebrows, before turning back towards the shelf. _Screw it_ , the wolf thought before cramming the book back into the shelf and turning to Màrcia, serious look on his face.

“Okay, listen,” he started in a hushed tone, making the girl jolt again at the intensity, “I know your secret, Màrcia.”

Hazel eyes went wide in alarm, but most of all, confusion. They darted around for a second before focusing back on Liam, brows furrowing as she tilted her head slightly.

“What?” she asked, clearly not understanding what Liam was insinuating.

“Look, it’s fine, okay?” Liam continued, seemingly unaware that the other wasn’t following. “Born or bitten, it’s fine. Unless you’re bitten, which will complicate a lot of things, but that’s fine too, just know that things are going to change– _you_ are going to change, and it’s going to be confusing or even overwhelming. It happened to me too when I was bitten–“

At that, the girl looked positively horrified as she listened to him ramble on.

“–but maybe you were born and probably know all this, so I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, I guess what I just want to say is that we’re here for you, we can help.” Liam finished, taking a deep breath before giving Màrcia an awkward half-smile. She stared at him, eyebrows still raised, when she finally nodded hesitantly and, to his confusion, took a step back away from him.

“Okay,” she started slowly, backing away further, “you’re being weird and it’s actually kinda terrifying me right now, so I’m just. I’m just gonna, uh, go.”

With a sharp turn on her heel, she rounded a corner, speed walking towards the exit with her book clutched to her chest.

“Wait–“ Liam lunged forward and skidded around the corner– “Màrcia!”

His yell attracted a lot irritated looks and a round of angry hushes, making him recoil as he brought up a hand to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment. As everyone settled again, Liam franticly glanced around only to find that Màrcia has left the library completely. He let his head fall back, eyes screwed shut as he groaned inwardly at the complete train wreck he made. A quiet chuckle reached his ears.

“Is this how you usually pick up girls?” A soft voice mused and the boy whirled around, coming face to face with Norah McClain, who sat on the stairs near the shelves, open book in her lap. With red ears, Liam opened his mouth a few times without making any sound.

“I wasn’t trying to pick her up!” he squeaked indignantly, earning odd looks from students passing by. Norah’s full lips twitched into a mischievous smile.

“Alright, so what was that all about then?”

Liam bit his lip. It wasn’t really any of the girl’s business, but he didn’t want to come across rude.

“I just…wanted to talk to her?” Even to his own ears that sounded questionable. His friends could never know about this. Especially not Mason. _Especially_ not Theo. They’d never let him live this down. Norah chuckled again, throwing some of her carefully twisted hair over her shoulder. Today, it seemed, she forwent the additional twin buns, instead letting her twists flow free.

“I know you’re not exactly looking for advice,” she began, “but maybe next time, try not to overthink it too much. Use your own words.”

She gave him a soft smile, dark brown eyes glittering with good-natured amusement. Liam sighed, but smiled back anyway, thankful.

“Yeah, I’ll try to remember that.”

 

* * *

 

When lunch time rang, Liam made his way towards his usual spot, already seeing Nolan and Mason seated there together with Theo, who was staring intently at the sandwich in his hands. Confused, Liam sat down next to a texting Mason before sending a questionable look towards Nolan, who only shrugged and carefully sent a small side glance to the chimera next to him. In the end, the Beta took the bait.

“Something wrong with your sandwich?”

Theo finally looked up from trying to burn a hole into his bread with pure force of will alone in one glance, pointing at Liam with the sandwich. The younger recoiled a little at the sudden movement, but the other wasn’t fazed.

“You tell me,” he simply said, much to Liam’s confusion until he leaned forward slightly and took a small whiff, an almost unnoticeable movement to the untrained eye. The Beta blinked.

“Butter,” he started, thinking, “mustard and ham. Simple, really. Actually, the ham smells good, are you gonna eat that or can I–“

Rolling his eyes, Theo snatched his sandwich back from Liam’s reach, much to his disappointment,  and took a reluctant bite out of it, chewing almost thoughtfully. Mason, who had long stopped texting, regarded him with a curious look.

“What was that all about? You think someone poisoned your sandwich or something?” he asked jokingly until he noticed the chimera’s dark look.

“Or something…” he muttered, but found nothing wrong with his sandwich after all. “I didn’t make this, it was given to me.”

Nolan gave him an incredulous look, “So you’re just eating some strangers food?”

“Well, _technically_ –“

Theo was interrupted by approaching footsteps, vaguely familiar with the rhythm of the gait and Mason’s quiet “ _Oh shit_ ” was enough for him to know who was standing next to him. With his jaw set he looked up to face Kurosawa’s sharp little smile.

“Good afternoon, boys,” she greeted the table as Liam clenched his fists and Nolan seemed to shrink into himself. “Don’t mind me, I won’t be too long. I hope you’re enjoying your lunch Theo, please do not forget to pick up your papers from the front office today after school.”

Her lips quirked a little as she turned, “Have a good day.”

And with that, she left, smiling as she passed a nearly gaping Corey, who was making his way towards the table. When she vanished in the hallway, the chameleon turned to Theo, thumb pointing after the woman with an almost scandalised face.

“What the hell was that? Are you– Are you seducing a _teacher_?”

Nolan immediately choked on drink.

Theo held up a hand, exasperated. “Now, hold on–“

“Oh my _god_ ,” Liam whispered as Corey sat down next to his boyfriend when the chimera pinned them all with a disbelieving look.

“Hey, I’m not _seducing_ a teacher, in fact; I’m not seducing anyone, okay?”

“Then what was that?” Mason grilled, causing Theo to press his lips together into a thin line, obviously unhappy about the current situation. Her could feel the four inquisitive pairs of eyes on him, so he let go of a harsh breath through his nose.

“I…made a deal,” he confessed lowly, “with Kurosawa.”

The reaction was immediate.

“You did _WHAT_?”

“A _deal_ –“

“What’s that even supposed to _mean_ –“

“ _What_ were you _thinking_?”

“ _Would you all just shut up!_ ” Theo hissed angrily at their too loud outburst, which attracted way too much attention than necessary. He leaned back in. “Listen up, I am not going to talk about this here.”

“But Theo–“ Liam protested when the chimera interrupted him.

“Did you get to talk with Màrcia?”

The Beta immediately snapped his mouth shut with an audible click, suddenly looking vaguely embarrassed. Mason shifted to look at his best friend with a half-amused expression on his face.

“You messed up, didn’t you,” he said, grinning a little teasingly at Liam’s partially formed pout he refused to show. “I don’t even need to hear your heartbeat to know that I’m right.”

“Okay, I get it; it didn’t really go as planned,” the other grumbled, “she now thinks I’m weird.”

Theo snorted. “Nothing new, but man, what did you tell her?”

“Shut up, Theo, we’re not done with you either!”

He made a nonchalant movement with his hand.

“That can wait, I say we go search for her in the woods.”

Corey drew his brows together. “The woods? Like, you mean you want to catch her during the act?”

The chimera nodded, finishing his sandwich as Nolan and Liam exchanged wary glances. Theo wiped off the excess crumbs from his face.

“Because it looks like she doesn’t want to be found out. We might as well look for ourselves.”

Nolan chewed on his bottom lip, uncertain, “Wouldn’t that be too forceful?”

“Or maybe…” They all turned to Liam, who suddenly wore a rather thoughtful expression with something akin to realisation crossing his face. “Maybe– maybe she doesn’t know. Maybe she doesn’t even know herself.”

By the looks on his friends faces, he knew it could be a possibility. Mason shook his head slightly.

“Well, if that’s so, then we gotta find her,” he announced, face turning serious. “And find her _fast_.”

 

* * *

 

In the dark, the Beacon Hills Preserve looked a lot more intimidating than during the day. Tall trees loomed overhead, rustling ever so slightly in the wind and somewhere in the distance, a branch snapped followed by hasty scurrying. No matter how much time Liam spent in these woods, there always seemed to be this underlying presence, like the night itself had laid claim to this territory, a natural force flowing throughout the entire forest, vibrating under their feet and thrumming within the branches. It made Liam respect its nature, while also embracing the wilderness within himself, his wolf attentive and curious when he walked amongst the trees.

There was some rustling behind him, followed by a small yelp and a dull _thud_. Confused, Liam paused and turned around only to find Nolan sprawled out on the forest floor, muttering to himself.

“You okay?” the Beta asked, half-concerned as he hovered slightly in case Nolan stumbled while he stood up. The other teen wiped off the dead leaves and a few dirt patches on his knees, looking vaguely embarrassed.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, “yeah, I’m fine, just tripped over a root. Are you sure we can’t use our flashlights?”

Following Theo’s plan, they all had met up at the edge of the woods where Theo had last seen Màrcia at around 11pm. After a short discussion, they agreed to split up, Mason and Corey heading  west, Liam and Nolan taking east and Theo decided to go north, back to the ravine to follow the track the girl had taken a few nights back. In order to not give their presence away too easily, Mason suggested not using any flashlights unless absolutely necessary, relying on their friends’ supernatural senses instead.

Liam gave Nolan a meek little grimace. “Sorry, man, but Mason’s right. No flashlights for now, just keep close, we’ll be fine.”

Nolan sighed heavily but said no more, trudging after the werewolf instead, this time keeping a close eye on where he’s stepping. They continued silently for a while, carefully alert to their surroundings and Liam listened intently to the various sounds of the night over Nolan’s hammering heartbeat; the teen was anxious, Liam could smell it. He couldn’t really blame him, lots of things have happened in these woods, and not all of them were overly pleasant. Unwillingly he thought of slick walls surrounding him and cold water stinging like ice shards against his wet skin as he longingly stared up into the night sky above the opening of the well. Thankfully, a sound emitting from his left let him perk up in alarm, instantly shaking off the bad memory. At the sudden halt, Nolan clumsily bumped into his back but immediately pinched a part of Liam’s grey hoodie between his nervous fingers.

“What is it?” the teen whispered shakily, wide eyes staring into the dark surrounding them. Liam only lifted a hand in order to shush him. There was a short rustling sound, a few branches snapping, a sound similar to a chuff– the Beta relaxed as he recognised the sound.

“We’re good,” he said quietly over his shoulder, “it’s just a deer. Let’s go.”

His partner’s shoulders sagged with relief as they shuffled past the deer. Liam could still hear Nolan’s rapid heartbeat and he stopped again, turning around.

“Hey man, you sure you’re okay? You’ve been nervous all night,” Liam asked, mildly concerned and watched how the other anxiously avoided eye contact. For a moment, Nolan said nothing and chewed on his bottom lip instead. Then, he sighed.

“I just–“ he began, hesitating, “Do you think I’m cut out for…you know, _this_?”

He gestured vaguely with his hands and Liam tilted his head a little in confusion. At that, Nolan made a small frustrated sound.

“You know, like the whole werewolf stuff! All the supernatural stuff, like how come I’m still involved? I‘m just a human compared to you guys.”

Liam’s eyebrows rose a little. “I can think of several humans who can easily kick and have kicked my ass. Also, don’t let Mason hear you say that.” To his relief, that made the other smile a little, however only briefly.

“I mean…the whole Monroe thing was my fault–“

He was interrupted when Liam almost roughly grabbed his shoulder, startling him.

“Hey, don’t say that. What happened with Monroe was _not_ your fault.” the Beta said seriously, “She was an adult we were supposed to trust and she took advantage of the situation you were in. She saw that you were afraid and confused and she used that to manipulate you and many others into what happened.”

Nolan gave him a long stare. “So I was weak?” he asked quietly and Liam quickly shook his head.

“That’s not what I–“

“If I wasn’t, maybe Gabe would still be alive.”

A heavy silence followed.

Liam wasn’t sure on how to answer as his mouth opened and closed a few times; he wanted to deny it immediately, but a sudden realisation hit him instead as he watched how Nolan stared at him, eyes filled with guilt and a sadness that made a fist clench around the werewolf’s heart. With his hand still on Nolan’s shoulder, he gave him a consoling squeeze.

“What happened to Gabe…it wasn’t your fault, Nolan. And it wasn’t Gabe’s fault either, because it was all Monroe and Gerard’s fault.” He squinted, inclining his head a little. “Well, only Monroe’s fault now since Gerard is, y’know…”

Nolan managed a very weak smile at that and the Beta wished he knew what to say to comfort the other – the war may have been over, but it took a large toll on everyone involved and still left traces, from scars and nightmares to more hunters following Monroe’s footsteps. Liam opened his mouth again to say something, but it died in his throat when he snapped his head to the left once more, where he had heard the deer. His brows furrowed and Nolan instantly noticed the sudden mood change, also turning towards his left and nervously inching closer to the Beta’s side.

“W-What are you hearing?” he whispered, suddenly feeling too afraid to even _breathe_.

“Heartbeat,” Liam replied and his eyes turned gold, piercing through the darkness of the night. “A lot of heartbeats.”

He took off, causing Nolan to yelp as he tried to race after him, fumbling with the flashlight in his hands. Jumping over a fallen tree and landing in a crouch, Liam listened again before looking up, golden eyes spotting a small building up ahead not too far away. It vaguely reminded him of the stone cottage back when they caught a Ghostrider, only the one in front of him seemed a tad bigger. Behind him, Nolan finally caught up to him, gasping a little as he turned off the flashlight and crouched next to Liam, eyes also on the building that seemed to be lit inside.

“In there,” the werewolf murmured as he listened to the various heartbeats, “they all come from in there.”  
“Maybe they are some workers or something?” Nolan tried to theorise but the teen next to him only shook his head, a troubled expression on his face.

“The heartbeats are weird…like there is one beating really fast and the others– the others seem slow, like ‘the people are asleep’ kinda slow,” he explained, shifting a little. “I doubt it’s a slumber party. The fast heartbeat seems… _afraid_.”  
They exchanged an uneasy look before Nolan gave a shaky nod. Slowly, with leaves crunching softly beneath their feet, they approached the box-like building; fortunately for them, the door was located on the side of the building they had reached, already open slightly, throwing a sliver of light into the dark woods around them. With their backs to the cold stone wall, they neared the door and Liam carefully peeked through the small space between the door and the wall. There wasn’t much to see but a few naked lightbulbs and rusty machines that must’ve been functional some time long ago. But what caught Liam’s attention almost immediately, was the overwhelming smell of fear shafting through the open door.

Something heavy settled in his stomach.

“I think I know where we are…” the Beta muttered darkly before pushing off the wall and opening the rusty door far enough to fit himself through – the old steel creaked loudly, even louder when Nolan opened it further, hot on Liam’s heels. The inside of the building was pretty bare and the first word that popped in the teenagers minds was ‘ _old_ ’: rusty machines and tools, cracks in the walls and the musty smell of mouldy wood. While Nolan looked around confused, Liam stepped towards the far corner of the rectangular room, the particular spot seemingly caged off with a big, dark sheet thrown over it.

The rapid heartbeat he heard got louder and louder as her approached and finally, his ears picked up a muffled whimper. Reaching out, he tore off the sheet, startling Nolan, whose face immediately contorted into terror. For once in his life, Liam hated the fact that he was right.

In front of them, in a rusty cage, laid around four unconscious people with a fifth one being the only one to sit upright, hands and feet tied together like everyone else’s with thick rope. The blonde woman with tear tracks on her face stared up at them, her frightened sounds muffled by the strip of duct tape over her mouth.

“Nolan,” Liam croaked, his throat as dry as sandpaper, “call the Sheriff. Or Parrish. Or literally anyone else–“

His partner already hastily reached for his cellphone, “Yeah, yeah, I know, I– _shit_! I know,” After nearly dropping his phone, Nolan quickly dialled the police, stepping away as Liam immediately searched the cage for a lock.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he told the woman through the rusty bars as he yanked at the relatively new lock attached to the cage door. Absentmindedly he heard Nolan franticly rambling into his phone. “You’re gonna be okay, Miss, we’re getting you out of here, _I_ _promise_.”

New tears spilled over the woman’s cheeks, but this time they seemed to be hopeful and the raw look of gratefulness on her face was enough for the Beta to tell himself ‘ _screw it_ ’ as he clawed off the rusty hinge blocked by the lock with his wolf strength. With a loud creak, he swung the newly freed door open, almost breathlessly smiling at the woman and crouching down to get to her ropes, when she suddenly jerked away from him. Liam gave her a bewildered look but she franticly shook her head, her hopeful look turning terrified as her brown eyes seemed to be glued to something over his shoulder. Then, he heard Nolan’s small whimper and his heart sank.

“Liam…!”

He turned around and pain exploded on the bridge of his nose, which had stars dancing in front of his eyes for a moment before he was roughly shoved into the floor, away from the cage. He could hear the woman utter a muffled scream before the cage fell close and the sheet being moved over it once more. Blinking the stars away, Liam finally managed to look up, straight into the barrel of a gun held to his face. With wide eyes, he stared past the weapon, spotting a horrified Nolan being held by the back of his collar, the hand on him belonging to none other than the kidnapper, who had been the talk of the town as of recent.

The guy looked a little younger than Liam had expected; he guessed him in his late 20s, on the taller side yet a bit lanky, maroon hair and a fitting beard with dark, slightly crazed looking eyes. He seemed like an ordinary person, but since it’s Beacon Hills, mostly everything stopped being ordinary. Liam nervously licked his lips, tasting the blood that had gushed out of his damaged nose, slowly raising his hands at the unasked prompt hovering in the air.

“What do we have here?” the guy started, his voice slightly raspy, “Have your parents never taught not to snoop in other people’s personal belongings?”

A spark of anger lit up in Liam’s chest. “You kidnapped those people,” he said, as if to clarify.

“Finders keepers,” the guy quipped in a tone that aggravated Liam even further. This guy talked about his victims as if they were some sort of toys he collected on the way, it sickened the teen. He could hear Nolan’s erratic heartbeat.

“Let him go,” Liam hissed at the criminal, who only tugged the teen closer. A small frightened squeak left Nolan’s lips as he stumbled against the man and instantly went rigid when he felt the cold end of the gun pressed against his temple.

“I found this little rat outside on his phone, probably tattling to the police, not?” The man gave another violent yank to Nolan’s collar, wringing a choked off sound out of the teen. Something snapped within Liam as he now fully glared at the guy.

“I said: _let him go_ ,” he growled, feeling his eyes light up in the beta gold, canines poking the inside of his lips.

The reaction was immediate: the usual confused panic spread across the guy’s face, but what Liam didn’t expect was the shaky words the man uttered next:

“You’re like her…”  
The Beta frowned a little even as the man whipped the gun back towards him, hand trembling. Full-on panic seemed to have seized the guy as he breathed heavily, eyes wide and paranoid.

“You’re like _her_!” he screeched, pressing Nolan closer like some kind of human shield. “You have her eyes– is she with you? _Did you bring her here_?!”

The man was starting to lose himself, spit flying from his mouth as he shrieked at Liam, gun unsteady in his hands but still dangerously trained on the kneeling teen in front of him. The wolf within Liam growled, wanting to be let out, and howled at the feeling of approaching danger. Behind him, a small creak was heard, the sound making everyone in the room freeze.

“Liam,” Nolan then whispered into the tense silence, staring straight ahead with wide eyes. “I think I found her...”

Carefully, Liam turned his head towards the door, now wide open.

Clad in yellow-white striped pyjama shorts and a matching top with bare feet covered in dirt and leaves in her wavy hair, stood Màrcia Veiga, slowly lifting her head to reveal dirt smudged cheeks and Liam fully expected to see a pair of hazel eyes. Instead, he was met with unnaturally _bright_ _green_ eyes piercing through the curtain of dark hair.

Màrcia curled her upper lip back, exposing an impressive pair of fangs, and _snarled_.


	6. asleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the hunter becomes the hunted and literally no one is happy to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello.
> 
> Oh my god guys, thank you so much for all your feedback, I nearly cried at the positivity, GOODNESS! All your comments made my day, I was so giddy and feeling absolutely great, thank you for all of your support, please know that I greatly appreciate all of you! I hope you enjoy this chapter, this one was a bit tricky, lmao.  
> Again, thank you so much!
> 
> The name's Crown, and I wish you all a wonderful day!

_chapter 6:_ **_asleep_ **

 

 ** _T_** he ravine seemed just as untouched as the first time Theo came across it; steep, filled with thorny bushes and stretched across the forest floor a good few yards, almost like a mini canyon. Ever since he reached the spot where he had been chasing Màrcia, he’d been trailing along the edge to find some sort of bridge, senses on high alert and sniffing the air every once in a while. So far, the woods seemed quiet. Well, as quiet as these woods could get when he spotted an owl swooping down to the ground and snatching up a squeaking mouse. There was some additional rustling behind him, but he didn’t pay it too much mind. Instead, he let his wolf eyes shine into the night, scrutinising the trees on the other side of the ravine – he had spotted a few claw marks a while back, so he’d been keeping a lookout for those too.

More rustling.

Theo closed his eyes in mild irritation, before turning around.

“I can hear you, y’know,” he announced loudly as a branch snapped, followed by a quiet “ _Ouch!_ ”. No second later, Corey and Mason appeared next to a tree, not far off from Theo, who almost looked bored, only raising his eyebrows at them. “What are you guys doing?”

Corey coughed. “Nothing. Just…checking up on you?”

Even his boyfriend shot him a disbelieving look and the chameleon just shrugged.

“Just spit it out,” Theo said impatiently, turning back to further examine the trees, “we don’t have all night.”

“It’s about Kurosawa,” Mason then blurted out after some fidgeting and the chimera wanted to groan out loud. _Not this again_ , he thought.

“I already told you, I don’t want to talk about–“

“Theo, whatever it is it seems dangerous!” Corey interrupted him and followed him, Mason trailing after. “A deal with Kurosawa? The Spiderlady who could eat you? What kinda deal are we even talking about? Is it an assassination deal? Do you have to kill someone–“ Theo gave him a rather affronted look– “Or is it some type of supernatural contract or something?”

The chimera snorted, not pausing in his steps. “More like a deal with the devil…” he muttered under his breath, but the other two caught it anyways.

“I thought the deal was with Kurosawa and not with you,” Mason quipped innocently, giving Theo a charming quirk of his lips. His boyfriend looked impressed, the chimera less so.

“Why, aren’t you funny,” Theo said dryly and Corey inclined his head, thoughtful.

“Yeah, I think he’s pretty funny too,” he then replied, smiling at his boyfriend, who sent him a wink.

The good mood vanished instantly however, when a ferocious roar ripped through the night, that almost had the trees shaking. All three teens whirled around into the direction of the sound, eyes wide and heart rates picking up.

“What the _hell_ was that?” Mason asked no one in particular, fumbling for his flashlight.

“Bad news,” was all Theo growled before he dashed past the two, golden eyes alight. He knew that roar.

 _Found you_.

 

* * *

 

Màrcia’s jaw shut with an audible click after her bone-rattling roar, which nearly shook the whole room with such volume in close quarters. She snarled again and before Liam could say anything, she charged straight at him with such speed, she almost seemed like a blur. The werewolf braced himself for impact, but it never came. Instead, Màrcia gracefully leapt over his still kneeling form and crashed head-on into the gunman, both going down in a struggling heap. Nolan had been yanked down too, but escaped the kidnapper’s grip by rolling away from the small scuffle.

With disbelieving eyes, Liam watched how the girl wrestled the gunman to the floor, growling and snarling all the way – it was only when she lifted a clawed hand, aiming it down towards her opponent, that Liam finally moved.

“Màrcia, no!” he yelled, shoving himself between the two fighters and tightly gripping the girl’s wrist to stop her from ripping the kidnapper’s throat open. He was instantly met with a pair of burning green eyes, alight with such blazing fury, Liam thought he might combust into flames right then and there.

“Listen,” he said fiercely, swallowing his previous shock as he leaned closer to Màrcia, who bared her fangs at him. “I don’t know how much in control you are right now, but I can’t let you kill him. You might regret it later.”

Liam tried not to break out into cold sweat when he saw the near primal rage shining in her eyes; she was definitely out for the kill. With a violent yank, she got her wrist out of his iron grip as he didn’t expect such strength coming from her.

The whole ordeal was a long enough distraction for the criminal to get a hold of his gun again, which had fallen during Màrcia’s attack, but Liam heard him cock the gun just in time to push himself and the girl out of the way of the bullet, which embedded itself into the wall behind them. Ears ringing, Liam looked up to to see the gunman scamper off, causing Màrcia to snarl again and she elbowed the wolf in the chin, who almost bit his tongue cursing at the impact, to get out under him, chasing after the criminal.

Nolan, who had cowered against the wall away from the fight, scrambled up and towards Liam, immediately trying to haul him onto his feet, when an another gunshot rang through the air. They both froze for a second before running to the door.

“ _Màrcia_!” Liam shouted, stumbling out of the building and was greeted by the sound of screeching tires as a police cruiser came to a halt in front of the building. Bathed in the bright headlights, stood Màrcia and the kidnapper, his gun trained onto the girl, who now sported a fresh gun-wound on her left thigh. Just as a confused Sheriff Stilinski together with Parrish climbed out of the car, the girl almost curiously looked down to her thigh – then, with a sickening squelch that had Nolan’s stomach turning, she dug for the bullet stuck in her leg, much to the horror of the gunman. Finally, she held up a lead bullet, inspecting the small thing between her two fingers before glowering at the criminal, growling lowly.

The Sheriff had enough, “This is the Beacon County PD, hands up where I can see them!”

Next to him, Parrish drew his own gun, his heightened hearing telling him that more police cars were on their way.

“Wait, _don’t shoot_!” Liam called out to the two policemen, stepping into the headlights just as twin calls of “ _Liam!_ ” appeared from his left. Theo nearly skidded around a tree, Corey and Mason hot one his heels, the latter looking worse for wear as he had tried his hardest to keep up with the speed of two supernatural creatures. They all came to a halt at scene, with Corey inclining his head a little when he spotted the girl in her pyjamas.

“Màrcia?” was the first thing he said, stunned until she turned to glare at them. “Oh, holy _shit_ –“

“He’s running again!” Nolan’s frantic voice had them all looking for the gunman again, who had now fully turned tail, rushing deeper into the woods. Màrcia didn’t hesitate and chased after, once again ignoring the worried calls of her peers.

“ _Dammit_ , don’t let them escape!” the Sheriff thundered, motioning to Parrish, “Take Dunbar and Raeken with you, the rest of you stay and help!”

Parrish nodded, hastily tucking his gun away before running off, immediately followed by Theo. Liam casted a short glance towards Mason, who only nodded at him as if to say they got it handled.

“You know what to do,” Liam said to Nolan, before going after the Hellhound.

They raced through the underwood, dead leaves whirling up under their feet and twigs snapping as they tailed Màrcia, who seemed to blend in seamlessly into the night, nothing more than a shadow bleeding into the darkness of the woods.

“ _How is she this fast?!_ ” Liam asked breathlessly, jumping over a small bush.

“Told you,” Theo grunted not far from him and Parrish looked between the two.

“You guys knew? And didn’t say anything?!”

“In all honesty it was more of a suspicion than anything,” Liam panted slightly, coming to a short stop when he felt the ground change – he looked around, Theo and Parrish also stopping close behind him. They were out of the woods on a rather old road and not too far ahead of them stood a tall metal fence, encasing a large industrial area, one of the few remote areas in Beacon Hills.

“They ran into the industrial district,” Theo concluded out loud before pointing at a hole cut into the fence, big enough to fit a human through, “this way.”

They climbed through the gap, following Theo through empty streets sparsely lit by orange streetlights, which stretched their shadows on the ground.

More gunshots echoed ominously, waking a few screeching ravens and Liam hoped that all of those shots missed their target – no matter what supernatural Màrcia may be, getting shot at was honestly not something you want to mess around with. Parrish seemed to notice his growing discomfort and called after Theo.

“How far?”

The teen took a sharp turn and stopped so abruptly, the deputy nearly ran into him. Upon Liam’s annoyed grunt, Theo only held up a hand to shush him, listening intently. Eerie silence surrounded them – then, another gunshot, unnervingly close to their current location. Theo motioned towards a building not far from them with his still raised hand.

“Found ‘em,” he said almost smugly, but Parrish’s eyes set themselves onto something higher up. They widened.

“He’s on the fire escape.” He rushed past the teens towards the lowered ladder, “And she’s following him all the way up.”

“Yeah, we better hurry before she gets to him first,” Liam said, swiftly climbing after Parrish. They raced up the remaining stairs, half rusty metal creaking dangerously under their feet, and Liam could smell the faint scent of blood on the metal, no doubt from Màrcia’s wounds. Ahead of him he could hear Parrish talking into his radio, probably informing the Sheriff of their location. They had almost reached the top, when Liam caught sight of fluttering dark brown hair disappearing over the edge of the roof.

“ _Shit_ – we have to hurry!”

Another gunshot, now sounding way too close for comfort but Liam burst onto the roof either way, coming to a screeching halt behind Parrish, who had a hand ready on his gun-holster. Theo joined them not a second later, all three of them greeted by the sight of the kidnapper pressing himself against the rail surrounding the edge of the roof, hands clenching around the gun which he shakily trained on a growling Màrcia. She took deliberately measured steps, stalking up to her victim as if relishing in his fear, claws ready at her side.

“Lower your weapon!” Parrish barked at the criminal, who only glanced at him as if he just grew a second head.

“A-Are you crazy?” he shrieked, terrified, “Tell _her_ to back off, she’s the one trying to kill me!”

Theo actually had the gall to let go of an uninterested sigh, turning his head slightly towards Liam.

“Can’t we just let her maul him? He did kidnap people, you know, he kinda deserves it,” he drawled until Liam shot him a severely unimpressed look that screamed ‘ _stop being inappropriate_ ’. He raised his hands defensively.

“Just a suggestion,”

“Shut up, Theo.”

Màrcia snarled, deep and vicious the closer she got to the gunman, who aimed at her, pulling the trigger. It only clicked a few times, signifying that it’s empty, making the criminal curse and Liam almost sigh in relief. That until Màrcia’s hand shot forward, gripping the human by the throat, partially lifting him into the air until his feet scraped helplessly against the ground, his blunt nails clawing at her arm. He wheezed pitifully, eyes wide in terror. Both Liam and Theo jolted forward, ready to pry her off when Parrish stepped past the two, eyes blazing orange as he let go of a small roar.

“ _Enough_!” he bellowed, his voice reverberating around them. Goosebumps raced up Liam’s arms at the deep sound and Theo tried not to flinch. The girl’s reaction was immediate; she snapped her head around, green eyes zeroing in on Parrish with a rather stunned expression as she dropped the kidnapper, shuffling back a little as if unsure about the unexpected addition of a hellhound. She stared at him inquisitively as the human at her feet gasped for much needed air before crawling out of her reach.

“Step away from him,” Parrish continued, orange eyes flickering like embers. Màrcia scowled at that, lips pulling back into a fang-adorned hiss. Liam took a few slow steps closer, freezing when she glared at him. He raised his hands.

“Màrcia, we _can’t_ let you kill him, you need to understand–“ he said placatingly before he was interrupted by her growling loudly at him, as if to vehemently reject the mere idea of pardoning the kidnapper, who now leaned against the rails, eyes fearfully trained onto them. In the distance, police sirens howled, steadily growing closer. Theo smirked as he caught the human’s eyes.

“Looks like backup is just on time,” he sneered as the criminal started visibly panicking – with wide, crazed eyes he pointed a shaky finger at Màrcia.

“You– You planned this, didn’t you!” he said in a high pitched voice, spittle flying from his mouth. “You want to get back at me, don’t you? This is your revenge for when I tried to take you!”

Parrish’s eyes dimmed back into their natural green when he turned his attention towards the kidnapper. His brows furrowed.

“You tried to kidnap her too?” he asked, horrified and simultaneously angered by the fact the man was willing to kidnap a mere teenager. The man whimpered.

“I couldn’t help myself,” he confessed, “she was all alone that night and she looked so pretty, I couldn’t help myself– I needed to keep her safe, keep her away from the world who would take advantage of her–“

Màrcia snarled, seemingly recalling the memory, her eyes alighting with renewed anger.

Theo’s nose curled up in disgust, “So you tried to kidnap her in your own self-righteousness. It’s almost impressive how much more pathetic you can get.”

“ _I didn’t know_!” the criminal shrieked, pressing himself closer to the rail, “I didn’t know she was on of _them_ – one of _you_ , you with the glowing eyes and fangs and claws– I was almost done putting her into the car and then– and then she just went like _this_ –“

He gestured towards her growling form, shifting nervously with his breath going erratic. Theo could hear his heart thundering in his chest.

“I know she’s been following me ever since, hunting me every night, trying to get back at me, trying to _kill_ me–“ he continued to ramble, “I already told you I’m sorry! I’m sorry! _Don’t kill me_!”

The man stood dangerously close to the rail, shifting precariously on the edge, making Parrish slowly reach out to him. Below them, he could hear police cars arriving.

“Sir, I need you to calm down,” Parrish said, “she won’t touch you, just calmly come with me and we can–“

Màrcia protested the idea with an enraged roar that had Liam’s hair standing on end and his arm whipped out just in time to catch her around the middle as she lunged forward, determined to finish what she started. Her move broke out a flurry of panic.

“She’s out to get me, she wants me _dead_!” the kidnapper screeched, flailing wildly and Parrish stepped towards him in high alert at the danger of him falling off the roof.

“Liam, I really need you to keep her under control!”

“I’m trying,” Liam grunted, “she’s a lot stronger than she looks– Màrcia, _don’t_!”

The girl fought through the werewolf’s grip, lurching forward straight into Theo, who intercepted her path, golden eyes blazing. They clashed, clawed hands meeting in a fury. Màrcia used her small momentum to place her hands on Theo’s shoulders, using his thighs as a springboard, the force of her improvised jump making the chimera stumble back.

It was as if time slowed down when Theo fell; bright green eyes glared murderously at the panicking kidnapper, her fangs bared and dark hair billowing around her face. The last straw the criminal needed to try and scramble back further, only for his hands to hit air. Liam watched in horror how the man tipped back over the rail, vanishing below.

“ _NO!_ ” he yelled just in time as Parrish, who immediately rushed forward, nearly colliding with the rail. The officer leaned over the edge and found the man sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Next to him, a kneeling Sheriff Stilinski, pressing two fingers to the man’s neck. He already knew the answer, even before the Sheriff looked up at him, face grim.

“There’s no heartbeat…” Liam mumbled, staring at the spot where the criminal had toppled over while Theo got back on his feet next to him, rolling his right shoulder. Parrish let his shoulders sag in defeat, but turned to his right when he heard the telltale sound of bare feet approaching.

Màrcia, still clawed, fanged and eerie green eyes, took one icy look at the body of the man she had hunted – then, without any other sound, she turned on her heel, calmly walking past the two boys towards the fire escape. It was like a complete 180 from her previously aggressive demeanour, stunning all three of them as they just watched how she descended the stairs. Theo furrowed his brows, shouldering Liam slightly to shake him from his stupor as he started to follow the girl.

“Something’s not right,” the chimera muttered, Liam close at his heels while Parrish radioed the Sheriff again. They climbed down the stairs.

“This whole evening hasn’t been right, you gotta be specific on this one,” Liam grumbled and the other shook his head.

“I meant her,” Theo clarified, stopping to turn towards the wolf, “don’t you think this whole thing is weird? First, at school she’s all timid and distant, then we find her aggressively hunting down her supposed kidnapper and now she’s all calm and unfazed? There’s gotta be something bigger going on and I have a feeling that we’re about to find out what.”

They descended the last of the steps and carefully slid down the ladder, trailing after Màrcia, who was silently walking ahead of them. The way she walked seemed like she was taking a simple stroll in the park, unhurried and in a leisure pace, it unnerved Liam after witnessing what she was actually capable of.

“Màrcia?” he carefully called after her. She ignored him as if she didn’t hear him at all, continuing her walk under the streetlights. The roar of an engine approached and then rounding a corner came Mason’s car, stopping short in front of the three of them. Soon, Mason, Corey and Nolan stepped out of the car, the latter holding Mason’s baseball bat close to his chest. They stood close to the vehicle, unsure of what to do when the girl stopped in her tracks, allowing Liam and Theo to catch up.

“Màrcia? Are…you okay?” Liam tried again to see if he could elicit any sort of reaction from her. She didn’t say anything, instead, she slowly turned around, bright eyes on him. Her pyjama was dirty, leaves were stuck in her hair and she had dirt and blood smudges on her face. There was blood on her claws, blood on her legs from all the grazes of bullets and the one gunshot wound that had partially healed up, and bloody spots on her clothes, no doubt from more wounds.

She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, before she opened her mouth slightly. A soft sigh escaped her lips, confusing Liam even more. Then, the green in her eyes dimmed, replacing them with the usual warm hazel colour. As soon as the bright colour vanished, her eyes rolled up slightly as they fluttered close, her whole body going slack, knees buckling under her weight and she swayed. Mason and Liam immediately reached forward in concern when Màrcia fell to her knees. As soon as she hit the pavement, her whole body jolted, hazel eyes snapping open with a gasp, trembling arms propping herself up. Liam could hear her heartbeat spike when she stared at the pavement beneath her.

“Oh no…” she whispered, bringing her hands to her chest as if the ground had burned them. “No, no, nononono– _not again_!”

Màrcia’s breath hitched, her hands shaking terribly when she brought them back down to look at the blood coating the tips of her fingers. She glanced at her legs, something akin to a sob climbing out of throat when she saw the grazes and the gunshot wound and all the blood and dirt.

“It’s just a dream…just a dream, just a dream…” Liam heard her whimper softly to herself as he walked closer. His heart clenched in sympathy. She tensed when she heard the soft scrape of his shoes against the pavement close to her, but glanced up anyways – desperate tears fell from her eyes, her face looking confused, scared, _lost_ , unable to outrun the ugly truth anymore. Màrcia swallowed thickly.

“ _What is happening to me?_ ”


End file.
